Incendiary protective shovel



April 27,1943.- H. GM DONALD 2,317,688

INCENDIARY PROTECTIVE SHOVEL' Filed May 5, 1942 Patented Apr. 27, 1943 UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE}.

INCENDIARY PROTECTIVE SHOVEL Harrison G. McDonald, Pasadena, Calif.

Application May 5,1942, Serial No. 441,783

3 Claims? (01. 294-l03) This invention has to do with a novel form of shovel or tool made especially foruse in the extinguishment and handling of bombs and other ignited objects. 7

One of my principal purposes is to provide a tool having particular adaptability not only for handling the bomb itself, but also for carrying and applying to the bomb, extinguishing material such as sand, granular or pulverulent chemically treated substances, and the like, all without danger to the user of the tool. More specifically, my object in this respect is to adapt the incendiary tool to the handling of packaged extinguishing materials, permitting the latter to be applied directly from a package to the ignited bomb, and

to then permit the bomb to be picked up and carried to a place of disposal. As will appear, the particular form and shape characteristics of the tool enable the user to be protected against emissions from the bomb while the latter i being treated and moved.

The tool may be described generally as comprising a handle carrying a pair of transversely extending blades, one of which i bodily movable relative to the other in the direction of the handle. For purposes of simplicity and economy in construction, the handle may be made in tubular form to contain a longitudinally movable member or rod attached to and supporting what may be referred to as the movable blade. The second blade may be mounted directly on the handle, so that by operation of the rod, the two blades are movable together or apart in the operations of applying the extinguishing material and handling the bomb. Thus the blade may serve as clamps to hold packaged material which can be poured on the bomb, and afterward, to engage and pick up the extinguished bomb.

Although capable of taking various specific forms, the blades desirably are made to give vertical support to a bomb confined between them, and for this purpose, the lower portion of at least one of the blades may be made to extend inwardly toward the other blade, so that as the two are brought together, the bomb is moved into a supporting surface where it can securely be kept during movement. As later described, one of the blades may serve in the nature of a pan or scoop, onto which the bomb and some of the extinguishing material may be moved and confined by the relative movement and final positions of the blades.

The invention will be understood more fully and explained to better advantage by reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating the invention in certain of its typical though preferred forms. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View illustrating one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 shows a modification thereof;

Fig. 3 illustrates a further variational form; and

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

According to my preferred construction, the various illustrated embodiments of the invention include the relatively movable blades carried by a handle assembly, generally indicated at IU, consisting of the handle proper, and a tubular member ll through which a bladeeoperating member or rod I2 extends. The handle ll may carry a sleeve l3 of suitable heat-insulatingmaterial, to protect the users hand in the event the handle becomes excessively heated by the conduction of heat from the bomb engaged by the blades. The rod terminal may also carry a handle M of heat-insulating or other suitable material. As will be apparent, relative displacement of the blades in the direction of the handle may be produced by movement of rod [2 longitudinally within the tube I l. I

In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 1, the blades I5 and I6 are formed of transversely extending sheets of metal or other suitable material, curved in their vertical cross-sectional shapes, substantially as illustrated. Blade I6 may be secured directly to the end of the tubular handle II in any suitable way, as by weld- .ing or otherwise fastening the plate to an upset portion ll of the tube. Blade I5 is suitably connected at l8 to the end of rod l2, so that the blade is movable toward or away from blade l6 by reciprocation of the rod within the handle tube II. A hook-shaped member l9 may be mounted at the outside of plate 15, to be used for such purposes as engagement with the bail of a bucket to be carried after the bomb has been deposited in it. When brought together, the

blades l5 and I6 may be substantially in engagement along their upper and lower edges. It may i be mentioned that, if desired, relative turning (about the rod. axis) of the blades l5 and I6 may be prevented by splining the rod within the sleeve or within the tube H, or its end portion H.

The form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 2 is generally similar to the described embodiment, except that the lower portion 20 of the outer or movable blade 15a is extended inwardly toward the opposite blade lfia a greater distance to provide more vertical supporting surface for the bomb or other object confined between the blades.

It first may be desirable to extinguish th bomb by sand or other particulate material distributed in and dispensed from a container such as a sack or cardboard package. In applying such material to the bomb, the package may be opened and grasped while in upright position between the blades I and Hi while turned vertically. The extinguishing material then may be poured onto the bomb while the blades are continually urged together as the package is depleted of its contents. After the container is discarded and the bomb has been sufiiciently extinguished to permit handling, the bomb may be picked up between the blades and placed in a pail or taken to other suitable disposal. It will be noted that the shapes and extents of the blades are such as to afford substantial protection to the user of the tool throughout the described operations.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate a variational embodiment of the invention in which the blades are designed to have greater carrying capacity and more of a scooping action in picking up the bomb. Here the blade 2| has an outer portion 22 consisting of a plate fastened at 23 to the rod 24, and an inwardly inclined pan "or scoop portion 25, both of which can conveniently be formed of the same piece of sheet metal. One end of the blade assembly has an upstanding fiang'e 26 to prevent movement "of material from between the blades at that end. The inner blade 26, attached at 28 to the handle 29, has an angularly turned bottom portion 38 which, upon movement of the blades 2! and 21 together, is caused to enter or overlie the scoop formed by plate 25, as illustrated-by'the dotted lines 21a.

Sand 01" other material to be applied to the bomb may be placed on the scoop 25 and poured from the end opposite the flange 2B. In the operation "of picking up the bomb, movement together of the blades causes the bomb, together with the sand or other material if desired, to become displaced onto plate 25 and retained in place by plate 21 in its closed position.

I claim: 1. An incendiary bomb shovel comprising a tubular handle, a transversely extending blade attached to said handle, a. relatively movable rod 1 extending through the handle bore, a transverse movable blade attached to said rod, and a hook mounted at the outside face of the last men tioned blade.

2. An incendiary bomb shovel comprising a tubular handle having a longitudinal bore, a transversely extending blade attached to said handle, a relatively movable rod extending through the handle bore, and a transverse movable blade attached to said rod and extending, when the rod is horizontal, downwardly and then inwardly along an inclined plane toward the other blade, said blades being relatively movable together to bring the first mentioned blade into oyerlying relation with the inclined portion of said movable blade and to a position of frictional engagement therewith limiting such relative movement, in which position said first mentioned blade is spaced from the downwardly extending portion of the other blade.

3. An incendiary bomb shovel comprising a tubular handle having a longitudinal bore, a transversely extending blade attached to said handle, a relatively movable rod extendin through the handle bore, and a transverse movable blade attached to said rod and extending, when the rod is horizontal, downwardly and then inwardly along an inclined plane toward the other blade, the first mentioned blade having a bottom portion extending inwardly toward the movable blade and adapted to be brought into overlying relationship therewith and to a position of frictional engagement therewith limiting movement together of the blades, in which position said first mentioned blade is spaced from the downwardly extending portion of the other blade.

HARRISON G. NECDONALD. 

